The Plumbline

Are you being an irritant or surrounded by irritants? A telling question indeed, for many of the things that actually irritate us about others are things that irritate us about ourselves! Mom always used to say, "It takes one to know one" and she was pretty 'spot-on' with that observation. If you are able to see such things as kindness, goodness, and graciousness in others FIRST, above all their other traits, you are likely doing pretty well allowing God to develop those traits deep within your heart, as well. Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation. (Proverbs 3:3-4) Irritants are burdens none of us want to carry - much less emulate in our lives. I found it amazing that one tiny 'burr' under the saddle blanket could cause a horse to act up so much. They become downright 'agitated' by that t...

When I said, “My foot is going out from under me,” Your loving-kindness held me up, O Lord. When my worry is great within me, Your comfort brings joy to my soul. (Psalm 94:18-19) The details never escape God, even when they seemingly escape our notice or attention. Maybe this is why it is so essential for us to trust God - because he has an eye on the details and he will never fail. Even though he never fails, our trust in him does, huh? We let worry grow within us - until it mounts to astronomic levels - and then we panic a little. God never stops taking care of the details of our lives, even when we are spinning out of control. The needs of our life are there, but he has all those needs under his control - no amount of 'great worry' will ever help bring the answer to those needs quicker, or in any better manner! I don't know where you are today, but I know there are bound to be some of you who are feeling like your feet are going out from underneath you. It may be like yo...

I ponder every morsel of wisdom from you,  I attentively watch how you've done it.   I relish everything you've told me of life,  I won't forget a word of it. (Psalm 119:15-16 The Message) Are you a "ponder-er"?  If you are one who turns things over and over until you get a better understanding of the object you are considering, then you are a "ponder-er".  To ponder means that you consider something deeply and thoroughly.  It involves the mind, but it also relies on the involvement of the emotions in the process.  It comes from a Latin word that means to "weigh".  Some of us might say that we are "reflecting" on an idea - we are simply pondering that idea (weighing the pros and cons). David tells us that he has become a "ponder-er" of God's wisdom - that which comes from his Word.  He has learned to "put to the test" the ideas he has running through his mind, those things that are affecting his emotions, by...